Bethel beats Stratford in SWC Division II lacrosse

Dan Atkinson

Updated 12:02 am, Thursday, May 29, 2014

STRATFORD -- It was hard to believe that Bethel girls lacrosse team played twice on Wednesday after watching its performance against Stratford in the semifinals of the SWC Division II tournament. After having defeated Trumbull earlier in the day, the Wildcats looked outstanding in a 13-6 win over the Red Devils at Longbrook Park.

Bethel established control early and took a 5-0 lead midway through the first half. It led 9-2 at the break, and continued to play well in the second half. The Wildcats were led by Eloise Gagnon and Danika Wagener, who each scored four goals.

With the win, Bethel (11-5) advances to Thursday's SWC championship game, where it will visit Immaculate at 5 p.m.. The Mustangs defeated Lauralton Hall 10-6 earlier in the day.

The Wildcats wasted no time in getting on the board. Gagnon scored the opening goal 1:46 in, and Danika Wagener immediately followed it up with a tally of her own. At the 5:19 mark, Gagnon beat Stratford goalie Eleanor LeFever to make the score 3-0. Gagnon continued her hot start with two more goals at 10:13 and 14:16. Gagnon's fourth goal was especially impressive, as she scored in heavy traffic.

After Gagnon gave Bethel a 5-0 lead, Maggie Bennington put the Red Devils on the board with 9:27 remaining by beating Olivia Franzese from just outside the crease. The Wildcats responded by scoring four goals over the next five minutes to take a 9-1 lead, with each goal coming from a different player. Bennington scored with 3:36 remaining to make it 9-2, but by then her team had dug itself into a hole too deep to overcome.

Bethel did a number of things right on defense throughout the game and especially in the first half, and ended up forcing 10 turnovers.

Coach Shelly DeSisto highlighted her defense's positioning and effort in transition as its biggest strengths on the day.

"We did a strong job of keeping our space and forcing their attackers left," DeSisto said. "Our transition D was also very aggressive and did a great job of getting back on plays."

In contrast, Stratford coach Ainsley Rossitto pointed to her offense's poor play in transition during the first half as its Achilles heel.

The Wildcats offense was very efficient throughout the game and received goals from eight different players.

"We tried to work the ball around and find the best scoring opportunities," DeSisto said. "Overall, we were very patient and avoided rushing shots."

Stratford was much more efficient on both ends in the second half, and scored three of the game's final four goals. Boddington and Waegner each scored twice in the half.

Rossitto is confident that her team can contend in the state tournament, but must show more confidence to do so. "We're going to continue practicing hard on both sides of the ball to get ready," she said. "I know they're capable of a run, but I'm not sure if they do. We underestimate ourselves way too much.

DeSisto said that her team is excited for the championship game and that the key to success against Immaculate will be controlling possession.

"We feel like we have a lot of momentum heading into the championship after two wins in one day. Whichever team gets off to a strong start and controls the ball tomorrow will win the game."